SPIRITS

02.13 Episode 35 (#8913)
Airdate: October 23, 1998

SG-11 has not returned from PXY-887, where a valuable new element, trinium, has been discovered. O'Neill is injured, and Captain Carter is left to lead SG-1 to the planet to investigate. There they meet Tonané, a plainspoken Coast Salish Indian who explains that Xe'ls the raven and T'akaya the wolf are the "spirits" who protect their land and people. When the teams return to Earth with Tonané, negotiations for a mining treaty break down. Angered, the spirits reveal themselves as shape-shifting aliens who will destroy the SGC for its deception, until O'Neill can convince them to reconsider.

Written by: Tor Alexander Valenza
Directed by: Martin Wood

Guest Starring: Rodney A. Grant as Tonané, Alex Zahara as Xe'ls, Christina Cox as T'akaya, Kevin McNulty as Dr. Warner, Roger R. Cross as Captain Conner, Chief Leonard George as Elder #1, Byron Chief Moon as Elder #2, Jason Calders as Alien #1, Laara Sadiq as Female Technician

Reference: Captain Conner, PXY-887, Salish, Security Lockdown, Spirits, T'akaya, Technicians, Tonané, Trinium, Dr. Warner, Xe'ls

DESTINATIONS & INHABITANTS

NOTES OF INTEREST

• The mission to PXY-887 marks Captain Carter's first command.
• Trinium was discovered on PXY-887 by Captain Conner and SG-11. Though brittle in its raw state, trinium is 100 times lighter and stronger than steel, and a valuable resource. The arrowhead, and many other Salish artifacts on the planet, were made of pure forged trinium. The Salish call the trinium "ke".
• The totem pole is a clan crest, similar in style to the Salish Indians, and tells the story of their origin. They were brought from a distant planet by evil rulers, probably Jaffa taking them from Earth. The Goa'uld on the planet were destroyed by Xe'ls, the Salish's main spirit, traditionally represented by a raven. T'akaya, another important spirit, is represented by a wolf. When the spirits removed the Goa'uld from the planet, they adapted their form to those of the Salish spirits in order to protect and coexist with them in harmony without interfering in their natural evolution.
• The spirits are able to adapt their form to change their appearance, and to change the form of others to make them disappear.

MEMORABLE REMARKS

• Oh, please. Aliens are always poking me full of holes. [O'Neill]
• Obviously, we've started our relations on the wrong foot. [Hammond]
  But that's so rare, Sir. [O'Neill]
• My superiors have ordered me to remind you to be diplomatic. [Hammond]
  Just as I would be. [O'Neill]
• Sam. First command. Cool. [O'Neill]
• Creepy... [Daniel]
• Captain Samantha Carter, SGC. [Carter]
  Long name. [Tonané]
• My, what big eyes you have. [Carter]
• I won't lie to you. There is a problem. We have to find Jack. [Daniel]
  Okay. He's not in here. [Tonané]
• Are you you? [Daniel]
  Yeah. You? [O'Neill]
  What? [Daniel]
  Never mind... [O'Neill]
• How do I know you're really Daniel? [O'Neill]
  Because. [Daniel]
  Yeah. Okay. [O'Neill]

FOR THE RECORD

• Kids: 1
• Sweet: 1
• O'Neill calls Carter "Sam": 1
• Injuries:
  • O'Neill: shot through the upper right arm by an arrow
  • Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c: shot by Salish darts, drugged and unconscious
• Popular Culture References:
  • Little Red Riding Hood
    • My, what big eyes you have.